This article was originally published on July 26 and updated on July 28. Update below.
28/07 update: we probably wouldn’t have to wait long to see what Samsung and Apple are doing to challenge the Pixel Buds. Samsung’s “unpacked” event is scheduled for August 5, and in an attempt to create some advertising, the Korean company yesterday released a video teaser.
Unsurprisingly, nothing has been explicitly revealed, however, there are transparent silhouettes of the gadgets that Samsung plans to present, adding the supposed Galaxy Note 20, a new smartwatch and, of course, the Galaxy Buds “Beans”, which you can see the rumored form of bean.
As my colleague David Phelan pointed out yesterday, the new buds seem to have a bean shape that fits perfectly in the ear. A filtered demo video shows how well they have compatibility, although there is little data on the new “smart” features of the headset. Although they are intended to have an active suppression of noise.
“These can come with a central frequency sensor, a VO2 sensor, a skin galvanic reaction sensor, an ECG sensor, a temperature sensor and more.”
The idea, it seems, is that AirPods, when combined with your phone or Apple Watch, can measure a variety of outdoor step activities and center frequency, which can come with a shape suitable for yoga poses and temperature checking (especially useful right now). Apple probably recognizes that Google has a monopoly on SMART functions based on artificial intelligence and, in response, is based on its strengths: fitness and fitness monitoring. It is not yet known how accurately all those sensors will get into a couple of small AirPods, and how useful they are, but an attractive war is brewing between the two devices.
Feature drops are feature updates for Pixel Buds and Pixel phones (where the concept was born) that load new software features. The concept is that users may notice new features that cannot wait for the release of the main software, which, in the case of Pixel phones, means the annual Android update.
We don’t know what will happen at the first release of Pixel Bud features, but the very concept of continually adding new features to products through the primary software innovations of Google’s artificial intelligence factory is, and will continue to be, a challenge to the competition.
Some of those features can be effective and eliminate the fundamental ability of the headphones, which is to play music. But what, in fact, wireless headphone users don’t now enjoy the same “smart” features as automatic music pause when a headset has been removed? Or typing to skip/pause a track, or eq-up settings in depth? All are included as popular with the max TWS headphones. Rare old features, such as noise detection or battery alerts, may also become the general new features at some point in the near future.
So what features can Google load to make your Pixel Buds warmer with the first feature? After surveying some Pixel Bud owners, I came up with two concepts: transferring touch sensitivity and more granular sound settings.
Let’s start with touch sensitivity. If you know the original 2016 Pixel Buds, you’ll know they were pressed by accidental keys due to the giant capacitive area.
Accidentally pausing and skipping music every time I tried to adjust your headphones was annoying. I have been using the new Pixel Buds for a few weeks and, they are a significant improvement over the original headphones, they still have this problem. Even more than my Galaxy Buds Plus, which are stored with the smaller ratio between box and capacitive surface. The solution? A feature that allows users to temporarily disable commands, on one or in a headset, so you can caress your headphones without fear.
The other requested feature is an equalizer, with the ability to save presets. It would be very welcome to have the ability to play with bass and treble depending on your general tastes, especially if you can temporarily replace them depending on your environment. More customizable settings in general, such as adjusting gesture commands or disabling incoming calls at the touch of a button, would also be a welcome resolution for Google.
It doesn’t stop there from
It’s the choice and promise of innovations that sets Pixel Buds apart. Although Google has not officially committed to updating features, the feature removal program itself is based on regularity, so wait for more after the August update.
Other corporations are updating their products with new meaty features, of course. Apple has announced a number of new features, adding an impressive area audio feature, for its AirPods and AirPods Pro, but there’s no indication that this happens frequently.
The regularity of those feature drops for Pixel Buds is the most engaging unknown piece of the puzzle moment (after the real features).
Pixel phone updates take up position every 3 months (although Google is very willing not to officially dedicate itself to this calendar), which I think is an achievable purpose given the almost consistent features that its team of assistants seems to use. Phones can also do much more than headphones, so painting with them is much more.
For Pixel Buds, Google will want to be artistic if it needs to stick to a normal schedule. My mental eye may be limited, but there are only a few things a headset can do without immersing itself in the world of devices.
But that’s why The Pixel Buds have a credit for the festival, there will be more headphones to come and they’ll probably be surprised. After some updates, the Pixel Buds introduced in May 2020 will have a different look and habit of the May 2021 Pixel Buds, at no additional cost. If the next update resolves serious audio interruption issues, Pixel Buds will remain a risk to the festival with each update.
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I am a London-based freelance journalist who specializes in all facets of technology, adding reviews, surveys, observations and news. I’m the editor-in-chief of the
I am a freelance journalist based in London, specializing in all facets of technology, adding reviews, surveys, observation and news. I’m the editor of the YouTube channel for investigative journalism, Point. I also write for The Guardian, Independent, Evening Standard, TechRadar, New Scientist and others.